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The HTC Atlanta Experience

Deciding to have a hair transplant procedure is an important, life-changing decision for any man. It’s important that you understand the details of how the hair transplant procedure will work, what you can expect during the procedure and when you can expect to see results.

The process starts with a thorough, detailed consultation with our qualified hair transplant physician. He will ask about your hair loss history, discuss your transplant goals and examine your hair loss with an assessment of the amount of donor hair that you have available for transplant. From there, you’ll learn whether you’re a candidate for hair transplantation and non-surgical treatment options. A counselor will be assigned who can provide available dates for scheduling, a price quote and inform you about financing options.

Procedure Day

Most hair transplant procedures start in the morning and end in the afternoon. You should wear comfortable clothes to the procedure that include a button down shirt and a loose-fitting hat for your ride home. You will meet with Dr. Work in the morning before beginning your procedure to discuss the hair transplant process. During the procedure, you’ll be seated and the physician and team will do everything they can to ensure your comfort. A local anesthetic and mild sedation will be used, but you’ll be awake and alert during the procedure, although most patients nap throughout much of the day or watch TV/ movies on our flat screen TV and listen to music. There will be time for breaks throughout the procedure during which time you will be allowed to stretch your legs and eat a catered lunch.

The Procedure

At HTC Atlanta, hair transplant surgery is a simple, outpatient procedure. Below is a short snapshot of what the hair transplant procedure entails and what you can expect during your procedure.

Pre-Procedure

While the procedure itself takes up the better part of a day, it is performed on an outpatient basis. You’ll arrive at HTC and go home the same day. The procedure begins with your surgeon marking the scalp and forehead with a pencil as he designs a new natural hairline that will meet your goals.

Preparation of the Follicular Units

Once the donor tissue is removed by either “Strip Method” or by using “FUE Technique”, the HTC Atlanta clinical staff will begin preparing the follicular units under a microscope for placement. The trained team will dissect the tissue into individual follicle groupings, known as follicular units, which contain one, two, three or four hairs.

Creating the recipient sites and placement of the follicular units

Your HTC Atlanta surgeon will create tiny slits on your scalp as your follicles are being dissected from the strip or FUE grafts for each one of the follicular grafts to be placed. Detailed attention to the location, angle, and depth of each unit is of the utmost importance, as they ensure a natural-looking hairline and results. Achieving natural results demand both clinical expertise and artistic design, the two hallmarks of HTC Atlanta hair restoration.

After Surgery

You’ll be able to return home immediately after your hair restoration procedure and you will be instructed on how to care for your newly transplanted hair. Most people will return to their usual activities within a few days, although many decide to take two to three days off from work to allow the follicular unit grafts to securely heal in their new location and for swelling and minor bruising to resolve. You can resume a full exercise regimen within seven days. The transplanted area may have some redness that will last for seven to 10 days depending upon your skin type. You are able to wear a baseball cap or other hat during this time frame. Depending on how much hair you have around the transplanted area, you will probably be able to easily camouflage the transplanted area and hide any visual evidence of the procedure having been performed. If you are traveling and coming in from out of town for your procedure, you are able to fly or drive home the next day. The sutures are removed 10 to 14 days following the procedure if you have undergone the “Strip Method,” otherwise there are no sutures to remove. If you are traveling for your procedure, the sutures can be removed easily by your local doctor or family member.

Alternatively, Dr. Work can use dissolvable sutures so there will be no need for suture removal. We’ll encourage you to sleep with your head elevated with pillows or a La-Z-Boy® recliner for the first few nights after the procedure.

Hair Growth

Unlike other cosmetic surgery procedures, the results are not immediately apparent. There is a “dormant” phase that occurs as the new hair follicles heal into their new location on your scalp. For the next few months, you’ll look the same as you did before the procedure. Notably, the new hair does not all grow in at once. Typically 20 percent of your new hair will start to grow three to four months after your procedure, 60 percent of hair growth between months four and eight and the remaining growth between months nine and 12 months post-procedure. The caliber of each new hair shaft will continue to increase between months 12-18 which will contribute to increased density.